Beyonce Through the Years

Another Album and a Baby

In June 2011, Beyonce released her fourth music album “4.” Beyonce became the third artist in history to have her first four albums peak at number one on the Billboard list. Later that year, Beyonce and Jay-Z announced at the MTV Video Music Awards that they were expecting their first child. Fans took to Twitter to react to Beyonce’s announcement; Twitter received a phenomenal 8,868 tweets per second, breaking the record of most tweets per second recorded for a particular event. The announcement broke another record of most-watched broadcast in MTV history, peaking at 12.4 million viewers. Her pregnancy also resulted in a sudden increase in her album sales. —XFINITY Entertainment Staff

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BeyonceThere’s nothing this drop-dead gorgeous diva can’t do. Beyonce’s singing and acting skills have led her to be nominated for 529 different awards, of which she has won 184 of them. Her successful career has made her an icon and inspiration to women all around the world. —XFINITY Entertainment Staff

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Early LifeBeyonce Giselle Knowles was born on September 4, 1981 in Houston, Texas. Beyonce started singing at a very early age, and competed in several talent shows and school musicals. In the late 1980s, Beyonce and Kelly Rowland formed a group called “Girl’s Tyme.” The group performed on “Star Search” to gain national recognition, but they unfortunately lost the competition. After suffering many setbacks, “Girl’s Tyme” changed its name to "Destiny's Child" in 1993, and finally got signed with Columbia Records three years later. —XFINITY Entertainment Staff

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Destiny's ChildThe group gained recognition with their song “Killing Time” which was used as the soundtrack for “Men in Black.” In 1998, Destiny’s Child released their first album, and their hit song “No, No, No” won three Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards. A year later, the group released their second album, “The Writing’s on the Wall,” which sold over eight million copies. Their song “Say My Name” also won two awards at the Grammys. —XFINITY Entertainment Staff

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DepressionUnknown to many, Beyonce went through a small phase of depression soon after Destiny’s Child won their first Grammy. Beyonce’s boyfriend of six years left her and two of the group members, Luckett and Roberson, left the band. The departure was highly publicized especially since Luckett and Roberson filed a lawsuit against Beyonce and the other members due to a breach in contract. Beyonce credits her mother, Tina Knowles, for helping her through those difficult few years. —XFINITY Entertainment Staff

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'Survivor'In 2000, Luckett and Roberson dropped the charges against their former group members, but they re-filed the lawsuit in 2001 after Destiny’s Child released their third album. Luckett and Roberson claimed that the “Survivor” album was targeting them. Regardless of the lawsuit, the album sold over ten million copies worldwide. After winning another Grammy, the group decided to split in October 2001 in order to pursue their solo careers. —XFINITY Entertainment Staff

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'Dangerously in ...After the split, Beyonce starred as Foxxy Cleopatra in “Austin Powers in Goldmember.” The film made over $73 million. Beyonce’s first single that she was featured in reached the top ten on the Billboard chart. She performed the song, “'03 Bonnie & Clyde” with her then-boyfriend Jay-Z. In June 2003, Beyonce released her debut solo album, “Dangerously in Love.” The album has sold 11 million copies worldwide, and it is still her best-selling album. The song “Crazy in Love” also reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 list for eight weeks in a row. Many of Beyonce’s other songs reached the top ten on Billboard, which led to her winning five Grammy Awards. —XFINITY Entertainment Staff

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'Destiny Fulfill...In November 2004, the final album of Destiny’s Child was released. “Destiny Fulfilled’s” hit songs “Lose My Breath” and “Soldier” peaked at number five on the Billboard list. The RIAA certified the album three times platinum. After the last Destiny’s Child tour, Beyonce starred in the 2006 movie “The Pink Panther.” Later that year, Destiny’s Child received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. —XFINITY Entertainment Staff

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'B'Day' and 'Dre...Beyonce released her second album, “B’Day” in September 2006. The album sold seven million copies worldwide, and it has also been certified by the RIAA as thrice platinum. Beyonce’s single “Irreplaceable” reached number one on the Billboard chart for ten weeks. The album also won a Grammy for Best Contemporary R&B album in 2007, and it was nominated for five other awards. In December 2006, Beyonce starred in another movie called “Dreamgirls.” The movie was a commercial success, and Beyonce earned many nominations for her performance in the movie. In April 2007, Beyonce went on her first solo worldwide tour, “The Beyonce Experience,” which made $90 million. —XFINITY Entertainment Staff

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'I Am... Sasha F...Beyonce married long-term boyfriend Jay-Z on April 4, 2008 in New York City. The ceremony was very private, and Beyonce opened up about her marriage during the debut of her third album, “I Am… Sasha Fierce.” The album has sold seven million copies worldwide and it became her third consecutive number one album in the US. Beyonce’s top singles in the album were “If I Were a Boy,” “Single Ladies” and “Halo.” The album helped Beyonce achieve the most top ten singles than any other female singer during 2001-2010. It was also revealed in late 2008 that Beyonce earned $80 million in one year, making her the second-best paid musician at that time. —XFINITY Entertainment Staff

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2008-2010In December 2008, Beyonce starred in the film “Cadillac Records” which was based on singer Etta James. The movie gained international praise and Beyonce was nominated for several awards. She also had the privilege of performing Etta James’ song “At Last” in January 2009, for Barack Obama’s first dance with Michelle during his inauguration. In March, Beyonce went on her second tour, “I Am… Tour,” which made an outstanding $119.5 million after performing at 108 venues. She received a further ten nominations for her songs in her album “I Am… Sasha Fierce” at the Grammys. Beyonce broke the record of most Grammy awards won by a female artist in one night by winning six out of her ten nominations. In 2010, Beyonce was placed at number nine in Forbes’ list of the “Most Powerful Women in the World.” She was also placed ninth on “Hollywood’s 20 Highest-Earners of 2010.” —XFINITY Entertainment Staff

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Another Album an...In June 2011, Beyonce released her fourth music album “4.” Beyonce became the third artist in history to have her first four albums peak at number one on the Billboard list. Later that year, Beyonce and Jay-Z announced at the MTV Video Music Awards that they were expecting their first child. Fans took to Twitter to react to Beyonce’s announcement; Twitter received a phenomenal 8,868 tweets per second, breaking the record of most tweets per second recorded for a particular event. The announcement broke another record of most-watched broadcast in MTV history, peaking at 12.4 million viewers. Her pregnancy also resulted in a sudden increase in her album sales. —XFINITY Entertainment Staff

(Photo by Gregg DeGuire/FilmMagic/Getty Images)The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.

2012On January 7, 2012, Beyonce gave birth to her daughter, Blue Ivy Carter in New York. Her first performance after giving birth was “Revel Presents: Beyonce Live” at the opening of the hotel Revel at Atlantic City. In September, Beyonce and Jay-Z raised about $4 million in support of Obama’s re-election campaign. Immediately after the Sandy Hook school shooting, Beyonce and other celebrities produced “Demand A Plan,” which is a video campaign to encourage the government to change gun control laws. —XFINITY Entertainment Staff

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2013It is confirmed that Beyonce is working on her fifth album which should be released in April. It was also revealed in early January that Destiny’s Child will be releasing a compilation album entitled “Love Songs,” which will only include hit love songs from their previous albums. On January 21, 2013, Beyonce beautifully performed the national anthem at Obama’s second inauguration. Beyonce is also scheduled to perform at the Super Bowl’s halftime show on February 3rd. —XFINITY Entertainment Staff

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